In 1865, eight defendants were tried before a Military Commission for conspiring to assassinate President Abraham Lincoln and other high government officials. The Historical Trial Team presented a reenactment of the trial. They focused primarily on the evidence concerning two defendants whose guilt or innocence is still argued today - Mary Surratt, who owned the boarding house at which the conspiracy was plotted, and Dr Samuel Mudd, who set John Wilkes
Booth's broken leg after the assassination. This program was timely both because 2015 marks the 150th anniversary of the end of the Civil War, and because disputes concerning the limits of military jurisdiction are still being litigated in the Guantanamo cases. A panel discussion following the trial reenactment discussed whether the Lincoln conspirators were properly tried before a military rather than a civilian court in 1865, and the implications of their case for today.
Presented By: The New York American Inn of Court (30373)
Presented: November, 2015
Topic Areas: Historical Programs and Famous Trials
Materials: Script, Articles, Citations of Law, Legal Documents, Handouts, PowerPoint Presentation
CLE Approval: Approved
State: New York
Hours: 1.5
2016 National Program Awards Placement: Outstanding Program Award
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